You're most welcome! With all your i-trader I can see you're quite active, so it's really the best thing in the long run. Sometimes these overseas customers turn out to be the best customers anyway if you can handle the difficulties inherent.
Chris
Cue Sale Advice?
- Thread starter plshrk22
- Start date
You're most welcome! With all your i-trader I can see you're quite active, so it's really the best thing in the long run. Sometimes these overseas customers turn out to be the best customers anyway if you can handle the difficulties inherent.
Chris
I had my eye on that cue and the pictures in the sale thread looked significantly more red than the pictures you posted in this thread (pictures in original thread have since been taken down). I can definitely see how that might upset someone.
The pictures should accurately depict the cue. Maybe your camera was set a little off or something when you took some recent pictures. Here's an example of a cue you sold recently:
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=236984
with very red-looking wood, but a little deeper digging reveals these pictures:
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=130489
where it looks significantly more brown.
You probably weren't being intentionally misleading, but I can see how someone who was expecting a certain wood color would be disappointed if it's off by how much those two pictures are off. I think offering him a refund is a good call, and shows you to be a stand-up guy.
The pictures should accurately depict the cue. Maybe your camera was set a little off or something when you took some recent pictures. Here's an example of a cue you sold recently:
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=236984
with very red-looking wood, but a little deeper digging reveals these pictures:
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=130489
where it looks significantly more brown.
You probably weren't being intentionally misleading, but I can see how someone who was expecting a certain wood color would be disappointed if it's off by how much those two pictures are off. I think offering him a refund is a good call, and shows you to be a stand-up guy.
Having spent about 20 year taking photographs for a living I would say after looking at your pictures, the Cue in person would look better. I can see grain pattern that I would call desirable in the photos that I am sure show up 110% in day light.
The sunlight made the cue look a lot different than artificial light and the buyer might very well not have bought the cue. Personally, I'd refund his money after I got the cue back safely.
I can not c any problem on this transaction, I feel funny when buyer said he can not resell the cue.........
But in this case, I will strongly advice escrow service and buyer have to cover all cost for the basic.......
Actually, I had one time experience on buyer too picky and I said to him 10%service cost plus shipping all cover with insured. lol
cheers
sam
But in this case, I will strongly advice escrow service and buyer have to cover all cost for the basic.......
Actually, I had one time experience on buyer too picky and I said to him 10%service cost plus shipping all cover with insured. lol
cheers
sam
TheThaiger
Banned
What has being an overseas buyer got to do with this? This could've happened in the next state, so there's no reason to bash overseas buyers, who have a hard enough time getting decent cues sent over as it is.
Too much hassle. A US buyer you can just pick up the phone and give them a call. Over seas shipping cost are different, time factors can be extensive unless you are paying for express that may cost half of what the cue is worth, customs, language differences and confusion, should I go on. For a business it is different they are doing business but for a guy who just wants to sell a cue, who needs all that stuff.
Because if you go back through some of the scam threads, many have occurred with overseas sales. I am not saying that all overseas buyers are scammers...they are not...but there are enough of them out there now that it makes those selling overseas very nervous. When these countries start cracking down on their scammers, then perhaps the reluctance to ship overseas will change.
I did it once. While all went well, it was still, to me, a highly stressful transaction for me, because I just wanted to make sure the buyer got his cue okay and that he was happy. Also, now anything with ivory in it is a crap shoot as to whether it will be seized or not. The longer shipping times, and that fact that USPS insurance goes right out the window the minute it leaves our shores via EMS or another global shipper working in tandem with the USPS. Just far too many variables anymore.
Lisa
The worst part at least on ebay is, you sell a cue on there and it bids to say $500.00 to maybe some guy who lives in the same state as you and in the last seconds it is bought by a guy from Germany for $510.00 just $10.00 more. Now you have to go through a month long worth of BS with him, He wants you to lie on the customs form, stalls payment, then tries to jerk you around on the shipping and for what, to make $10.00 more. I would rather have sold it to a US buyer for $50.00 less with free shipping. For anyone other then maybe someone who does this for a living it is not worth it. The average guy who sells a cue now and then doesn't need all that.
Last edited:
We're not bashing overseas buyers. We are discussing the complications of selling overseas. Plus in Asia, especially Singapore and Indonesia, there have been a ton of credit card scams on Ebay and paypal. If you do much business overseas you would know. I'll give you some examples from my own experience.
Take a $2,000 cue. A Fed Ex package from Los Angeles to most parts of the US insured for $2000 is from $26 to $41. To Singapore, the same package is $135 - $145. then you have the customs forms, potential customs duties, etc. Tracking is very iffy.
I sent a shaft to Ratta in Germany International Priority mail - it took about a month to be delivered - nothing wrong with the address or postage - I took it to the post office to mail it for me. We couldn't track it or anything once it got into Germany. He got charged customs even though I filled out the customs form - I said it was a demonstration product and it was a gift from me. My shipping cost for one shaft was about $40. we thought it was lost.
I sent a cue to the UK and they charged the guy a lot of money through customs.
I sent a guy in Canada some DVD's - took 2 months to get there due to postal strike/customs back-ups.
I couldn't get paid from a guy in Sinapore because paypal froze his account due to "suspicious" activity - which was total BS too, the guy is a saint. He ended up wire transferring the money to me at considerable expense.
Anyway, when you do enough overseas transactions, you tend to get a little gun shy.
Chris
Last edited:
I'm sure you know this, but there's a way to block non-US bidders automatically on e-bay. Kvinbrewer helped me with that when I was selling some coins. You can PM him if you need help with it.
Chris
Excellent examples, Chris!
I had an overseas transaction for a $2500 cue, that had ivory in it. This has been probably 6 years ago or so now...before the real crack-down on shipping ivory began. The transaction went smoothly, thankfully. However, while the buyer wanted insurance, he also wanted the cue considerably devaluated, for Customs purposes. The problem is, that you can't insure for more than the declared value of the item shipped. He stated quite clearly in an email that he was willing to assume all risk...so I did as he requested. It still took 4-5 days, as I recalll, for the cue to move from Seattle to Taiwan, and that was USPS Global Express. I was a complete wreck until I received the buyers email stating that the cue had arrived and he was very happy with his purchase. That was my last time shipping overseas...just far too much stress for me.
Lisa
TheThaiger
Banned
You have nothing to fear but fear itself.
TheThaiger
Banned
You are. This has NOTHING to do with sending cues overseas. The buyer didn't think the cue was as described, and wanted his money back. The seller was debating whether to refund the money or not. Iceland or Idaho makes no difference whatsoever.
TheThaiger
Banned
Leave Canada out of it. Once in a blue moon Canada Post goes on strike, like that doesn't happen in US.
My cue was stack for about 1 month because of the strike but I didn't cry about it.
The seller got his money upfront and everyone was happy in the end.
What's the problem, and give me a break.........
All you hear from some of the guys here is how great it is doing business in US but not outside, yeah, right.
Nobody in US commits crimes apparently, ohh, wait a minute, hmm.............
And every product it is top notch as long as it is from US, yeah sure it is.
My cue was stack for about 1 month because of the strike but I didn't cry about it.
The seller got his money upfront and everyone was happy in the end.
What's the problem, and give me a break.........
All you hear from some of the guys here is how great it is doing business in US but not outside, yeah, right.
Nobody in US commits crimes apparently, ohh, wait a minute, hmm.............
And every product it is top notch as long as it is from US, yeah sure it is.
Not fear, just not a experience I wish to repeat, is all. As far as buying, I rarely buy cues here, but have some other items....all without a hitch. As for cues, I have just found it easier, often less money/hassles, and infinitely more fulfilling to just order a cue directly from the maker built to my specs.
I have sold both cues and a case or two here. Again, all without a hitch. I make sure all my items are packaged as bulletproof as possible, and I do not scrimp on the shipping costs. I would rather be out a few dollars with a happy buyer, than have made a few dollars extra and have it come back and bite me in the a$$. Just not worth it, IMHO.